Olga Kern

Olga Vladimirovna Kern ( Pushechnikova, 23 April 1975 ) is a Russian and American classical pianist. She became a US citizen in 2016.

Early life Kern was born Olga Vladimirovna Pushechnikova on 23 April 1975 in Moscow, Russian SFSR. Her parents are both pianists, and she is related to the Russian socialite and memoirist Anna Petrovna Kern. Her great-grandmother was the mezzo-soprano Vera Pushechnikova. Kern began studying piano at age five with Professor Evgeny Timakin at the Central Music School of Moscow and gave her first concert at age seven in the same city. She won her first international competition, the Concertino Praga Competition, at age 11 in Czechoslovakia. At 17, she won first prize at the first Rachmaninoff International Piano Competition. While in school, she received an honorary scholarship from the president of Russia Boris Yeltsin in 1996.

Career

Early career Kern continued her studies at the Moscow Conservatory with Professor Sergei Dorensky and continued her postgraduate studies at the same school. She also studied with Professor Boris Petrushansky at the Accademia Pianistica 'Incontri col Maestro' in Imola. She adopted her mother's surname, Kern, professionally as her international career developed.

Pedagogy Besides performing, Kern is an active music pedagogue, and has conducted master classes at such locations as Yale University, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and New York City's 92nd Street Y. Kern has been a jury member for several international competitions including Grand Prix Animato in Paris, France; the Scottish International Piano Competition in Glasgow, Scotland; Amadeus Competition in Brno, Czech Republic; and the Top of the World International Piano Competition in Tromsø, Norway. Kern was jury chairman for the Seventh Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition in June 2016.

Kern is a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences’s Division of the Arts. She was artistic director of the Cape Town Summer Festival from 2006 to 2011 and frequently returns. In September 2017, Kern joined the piano faculty of the Manhattan School of Music.

Olga Kern International Piano Competition

In 2016, Kern launched the Olga Kern International Piano Competition for pianists between the ages of 18 and 32. Taking place every three years in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the competition's mission is to "provide the venue for young pianists to develop international careers through a competition that is recognized globally for its value and excellence." Kern serves as artistic director and president of the jury.

The inaugural competition took place in Albuquerque November 13–20, 2016. Twenty-two contestants representing fourteen countries were chosen from submitted video auditions and judged by Kern along with eight other internationally recognized judges. The competition gave away a total of $30,000 in prize money with the winner receiving $11,000 along with a professional recording on the Steinway & Sons Label and tours throughout Europe and the United States. Vladimir Kern conducted the finalist concert with the New Mexico Philharmonic.

In honor of the festival and of Kern, Albuquerque mayor Richard Berry issued an executive order declaring November 20 "Olga Kern Day," coinciding with the final day of the competition.

Olga Kern International Piano Competition Awards Year First Prize Second Prize Third Prize Fourth Prize 2016 Chen Guang (China) Anna Dmytrenko (Ukraine) Anastasiya Naplekova (Ukraine) Joshua Rupley (United States) 2019 Tetiana Shafran (Ukraine) Federico Gad Crema (Italy) Simon Karakulidi (Russia) Elizaveta Kliuchereva (Russia).2022 Jonathan Mamora (United States) Anthony Ratinov (United States) Yanfeng Bai (China) N/A

Foundation

In 2012, Kern established the “Aspiration” foundation with her brother, conductor, composer, and teacher Vladimir Kern. The aim of the foundation is to provide financial and artistic assistance to developing young musicians throughout the world.

Awards

Year Event Rank Location 1986 Concertino Praga International Piano Competition 1st Prague 1993 Rachmaninoff International Piano Competition 1st Moscow, Russia 1996 Viotti International Piano Competition 2nd Vercelli, Italy 1996 Unisa International Piano Competition 4th Pretoria, South Africa 1999 Ettore Pozzoli International Piano Competition 1st Seregno, Italy 1999 Beijing International Piano Competition 3rd Beijing, China 1999 Dino Ciani International Piano Competition 2nd Milan 2000 Pinerolo International Piano Competition 1st Pinerolo, Italy 2000 Cantù International Piano Competition 1st Cantù, Italy 2000 Hamamatsu International Piano Competition 3rd Hamamatsu, Japan 2001 Morocco International Piano Competition 1st Casablanca 2001 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition 1st Fort Worth, TX 2017 Ellis Island Medal of Honor - United States

Recordings Year Album Label 2001 The Cliburn: Playing on the Edge Peter Rosen Productions DVD 2001 Gold Medalist: 11th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition Harmonia Mundi 2003 Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 Harmonia Mundi 2005 Rachmaninoff: Piano Sonata No. 2; Balakirev: Islamey Harmonia Mundi 2006 Rachmaninoff: Transcriptions; Corelli Variations (GRAMMY nominated) Harmonia Mundi 2006 Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1 Harmonia Mundi 2007 Brahms: Variations Op. 21, 24, 35 Harmonia Mundi 2010 They Came to Play Docurama Films DVD 2010 Chopin: Piano Sonatas 2 & 3 Harmonia Mundi 2011 Renée Fleming and Dmitri Hvorostovsky: A Musical Odyssey in St. Petersburg Decca DVD 2012 Rachmaninoff: Cello Sonata (with Sol Gabetta) Sony Classical 2022 Brahms: Piano Quintet and Shostakovich Piano Quintet with Dali Quartet Delos

Personal life Kern lives in New York City.